Moments
by nhannah
Summary: Used to be titled, Meaningful Drabbles. A collection of oneshots based on fluffy moments between a certain koorime and our resident Deity of Death. Each story is detached from the other, but meaningful all the same. Review! [HieixBotan]
1. Cry

**A/N: _My attempt at a drabble fic. Not limited of a usage of words. Short fics based on single words. This is, of course, Hiei/Botan. Anyways, I know many people are going on about rain, so here's my crappy version of one. Please enjoy and tell me what you think, okay?

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**Cry**

Fat, sparkling teardrops slid down flushed cheeks and splashed onto the all-ready damp earth. Up above, the sky was grey and thick, black clouds encased the coin-shaped sun; filtering the few streams of sunlight. Heavy rain poured down from the heavens. Perhaps it was merely coincidence, but as the poor, distressed blue-haired deity hugged herself against the rain, she couldn't help but realize that whenever she cried, the heavens would cry as well.

Today, the source of her misery stood about six feet across from her – his garnet eyes boring holes through her pathetic limp form.

'J-just... turn away...' she muttered faintly, shielding her crying pink irises beneath the bangs of her wet blue hair. She pressed her arms closer against her chest and spun the opposite direction; not wanting to be seen. 'G-go a-away...'

The small frame of the black-clothed man that made her cry paid no heed to her pleads. He, instead, continued to drill through her with his emotionless crimson eyes, all the while taking a few steps closer to the sobbing woman.

A string of white lightning sliced through the grey sky, soon followed by a clap of threatening thunder. Perhaps another coincidence, or perhaps a warning to the short man coming towards her...

'I s-said go away!' she screamed loudly, her voice shattering through the music of the falling rain. A faint roll of thunder accompanied her right after. 'D-don't...'

Again, the man paid no heed. His gravity-defying black hair stood up, even against the rain. Only the onyx bangs above his sweatband dampened and stuck around his forehead. He moved closer still until he was merely a hair's breadth away from her stiff form.

'No...' he drawled, his hot breath rolling across the skin of her neck, causing her to stiffen even more noticeably. Cold goosebumps tickled her porcelein skin. Above her, more lightning cracked.

'Why tell me to leave... when it was you who told me you loved me?' whispered the deep tenor of the man standing behind her.

The deity furrowed her brows and bit so hard on her lower lip that it started to redden and bleed. 'I...' she muttered, softly, almost weakly, as though she was struggling against an inner force, and losing miserably. 'I... was lying...'

A deep chuckle rose from his chest and rested against her hot neck. She could practically feel his thin lips break into that annoying smirk she had been so very accustomed to. 'Onna...' he started, softly. 'I hate games.'

The hidden meaning behind his simple sentence was obvious, and she crushed her eyes shut, trying to fight against the hurt feeling at the pit of her chest. He knew the truth – she knew the truth. She was never lying to begin with. They both knew her confession was real. They both knew that she loved him... that she _still _loved him.

'What does it matter anyways?' her voice cracked weakly. 'If you don't feel the s-same... what would my loving you c-c-count? You hate me.'

It was strange how, almost immediately, the man's cocky demeanor vanished, only to be replaced with a more humble, almost sheepish one. 'I never hated you, onna...' he muttered.

Botan turned, peering closely into Hiei's deep red eyes; trying to read between the many complicated lines. 'Y-you don't?'

The man – the _demon _– shook his head. 'Never.'

'But what about love?' she squeaked, opening her eyes through the mixture of tears and rain.

'I wouldn't be here if I simply _liked_ you, onna,' he replied, a sort of sarcastic, mocking tone baring from his sharp tongue.

As the sentimental romantic he had known her to be, he was, to be frank, quite taken aback when she said nothing and made no move to embrace him.

'What...?' he started, but was cut off by her dazzling smile beneath the downpour of rain.

'Shh,' she said, basking his bewilderment with a cheerful expression. 'I'm waiting for the rain to stop crying...'

As if on que, the dark rain clouds up above parted to reveal the shining sun.

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**A/N: _Like I said: crappy. Anyways, its my first one, so, hopefully, the next chapter will be much better. I'm sorry for the OOC-ness involved in this. I just enjoyed it, is all. And, yeah, yeah, please don't tell me I cut it off way to fast, because, AGAIN, I am very aware of this fact. Review, please. For my sake?_**


	2. Smile

**A/N: _Calling all Naruto fans! I've just posted in a new SasuSaku fic! Check it out if you have the time! Anyways, here's the next chapter. I know this fic isn't doing very well, but, then again, drabbles are always taken lightly. _**

**Number of words: 747

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**Smile**

Pink eyes fell under rain-ridden lashes. A faint breathing was heard from the wet, parted lips of an unconscious deity. Vivid blue hair, as clear and promising as the sky during a perfect Spring day, spilled against her sinewy shoulders, framing a most delicate, angelic face. Her heartbeat was steady – even. She wore a mask of complete contempt as she slept away, oblivious to the intense gaze that had been focusing upon her for quite some time.

Hiei Jaganshi stared at the woman – the sleeping deity – his rough fingers running through her hair; tangling into it. When he finally withdrew his eyes from her, it was only to look upwards; to meet the gaze of a grey, dreary morning sky. Dark clouds filtered any sunshine from breaking pass, and a light drizzle was showering the emerald grass below.

Hiei sighed a contempt sight. It was times like these that he was truly at peace. Just him, the rain, his tree and the beloved deity that lay soothingly against his upper thighs, giving him a sense of comfort, just as he gave her a sense of warmth.

The fire apparation brought his eyes downwards once more; back onto the gentle face of his latent ferry woman. He watched her smile as she snuggled closer for his embrace; a proposal which he was willing to accept most fully. He hugged her small form deeper into himself without a single trace of outward emotion. His pale face was empty and devoid of any passion whatsoever. His crimson orbs reflected no love, even as he held her close to him intimately.

'Hiei...' the ferry girl – HIS ferry girl – murmured into his chest, the small smile on her face not wavering even the slightest bit.

Hiei brought her closer – as close as she could possibly be. He did not smile as he did so. No softening of the eyes, as most people would expect one to do during romantic moments in a novel or movie. No passionate kiss. Nothing.

Hiei Jaganshi didn't smile. He almost never smiled – even in the company of his lover and mate, Botan would only ever see him smile during very rare occasions. The closest he could ever truly get to a smile, of course, was his infamous smirk before he rose his blade and sliced the head off his prey.

No. Hiei Jaganshi never smiled. His empty, emotionless façade was so well practiced, in fact, that he hardly knew how to show any emotion at all.

'How can you live with such an ice-cube like him anyways, Botan-chan?' one of Botan's friends had asked her a few days back. It was concerning Hiei, of course, for their bond had just gone public quite a few weeks before. 'Doesn't he ever smile?'

Rekai's top ferry girl merely smiled at her friend's ignorance. 'No, he doesn't smile,' she said, an unnatural cheeriness in her voice. 'But that's all right.'

Whether the ferry girl had planned on intentionally leaving out any explaination to her reply, however, was uncertain; for, unlike what most people must have thought, her relationship with the "ice-cube" was in fact less complicating than that. Hiei's reluctance to smile had been vindicated months before they had mated.

She still remembered it; the deep emotion that rose and blossomed in the pit of her chest, the tears that fell from her pink eyes, the upturn of the lips as he caressed her cheek with a sure, yet bashful hand; 'You smile enough for the both of us...,' he had said, with an air of indifference. '...and I'll be happy as long as you do.'

The ferry woman shifted in her sleep, dreaming of past events, remembering and cherishing every single one of them. 'Thank you, Hiei,' she murmured, blissfully unaware that she was being watched.

She smiled...

...and he smiled along with her.

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**A/N: _Soooo... how was it? I thought it was pretty sweet; but, hey, that's just me! Anyways, do me a favour and review, okay? I just failed my Chemistry test, so your comments will do loads to cheer me up! Thanks a bunch! And, please, if you have any ideas for my next chapter, don't hesitate to include it via review!_**

_**REVIEW!**_


	3. Swans

**A/N: **_**Umm... it's a school night, and I really shouldn't be doing this, but inspiration suddenly struck, and, well, here I am. Its not a very good one, but I was determined to post something anyways. So, umm, enjoy.**_

**Number of Words: 678**

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**Swans**

The sun was setting far into the horizon, causing a kaleidoscope of colour to paint the sky, tinting it orange and pink. A wave rolled through the ocean and smoothly crashed into the beach front. The moist sand beneath his feet had no affect on him as he continued to stare upwards into the heavens, gazing at the few clouds that dotted the sky during sunset. His black shadow traced the earth beneath him. Seagulls flew up above.

Suddenly, the clouds parted to reveal a small black figure. The figure grew larger and larger as it descended. It flew at a steady, albeit rather hasty pace. Even in the dying sun, he could make out the faint trace of her delicate figure. He could see, with perfect detail, the bangs of her cerulean hair dance in the gentle breeze. She zoomed downwards on her oar like a comet; her pink eyes were twinkling excitedly as she reached him.

'Sorry I'm late,' she apologized sheepishly upon arrival, her right hand reaching to the back of her neck, and her left smoothing out the crinkles of her pink kimono. 'Koenma-sama had me do some extra work.'

'Hn.'

A faint ruffling was heard as the deity casually fastened herself on the sand beside him. She looked up at his pale, emotionless face with bright eyes. 'So... what would you like to talk about?'

The short man – or, should I say demon – didn't exactly remember how or when they started bonding; all he knew was that he enjoyed her presence most dearly. Whether it was mere, pointless chat (mostly on her behalf) or anything of importance, the two had made it a point to meet at exactly the same spot everyday during sunset.

The demon unclenched his fist and extended his hand toward her; there, lying on the palm of his hand, was a small paper swan, the edges slightly bent and crumpled after resting within his fist for so long.

He watched her gaze at the swan silently without a trace of legible emotion. Did she really hate it?

'The fox said it brings luck,' he mumbled, slightly abashed.

The demon waited patiently for a reply, but, as none came, he hastily re-clenched his hand into a balled fist and stuffed the paper ornament into his pocket, ashamed. 'Its stupid.'

'Hiei, no!' said the woman, grabbing his hand with gentle fingers and prying them open, in attempt to retrieve the swan. 'Its not stupid! Its just...'

Hiei peered closely at her, trying to read between the lines. _Was she blushing?_

'Swans are...' started the deity, her face flushing prettily, her gaze hastily retreating from his own. '...swans are a symbol of love. When... a person presents it to somebody, it usually means...' She dragged at the last sentence, watching as the demon before her – a man, who usually held no emotion whatsoever – widened his crimson eyes in understanding and flushed slightly.

Hiei swallowed a lump in his throat, feeling as if he had just tasted raw sand. Eyes cast downwards, he muttered a slightly inaudible, 'Sorry,' to the blue-haired deity before him.

This time, it was her turn to widen her orbs. She placed a warm, gentle finger on his upper lip and smiled a small smile of reassurance. 'Don't,' she said, ceasing him from further apologies.

Small, slender fingers slipped between the Fire Apparation's own larger, rough ones. She brought her lips forward, quickly and timidly capturing his own with a chaste kiss.

The ferry woman, Botan, touched the swan.

'...it usually means the two would never grow apart...'

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**A/N: **_**There was never really a saying that suggest swans to represent love. I sort of made it up... but, whatever. It is sort of appropriate – you know, a pair of swans? Aah, well. If you hate it, review anyways.**_

_**REVIEW.**_


	4. Strawberry

_**A/N: I just had ice-cream. Go figure. Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to everyone that bothered leaving a review after going through my fic. To **_**Elemental Dragon1, MystiKoorime, lady-warrioress, Cafinatedangel13**_**, and **_**MidnightDevil1**_**, thanks a bunch!**_

**Number of Words: 525

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**Strawberry**

'Please, Hiei?'

Said Hiei turned around, changing his blank gaze into a menacing glare that he full-heartedly delivered to the ferry onna in front of him. 'No,' he said, his voice threatening and dead-panned.

The ferry woman that stood before him started to widen her cotton-candy pink eyes. She stuck out her lower lip, making sure it quivered most realistically. Putting on her best kitty-face, the deity began to plead yet again. '_Pleeeeease, _Hiei-_kun_?'

Hiei sighed and reluctantly moved his half-eaten carton of vanilla ice-cream (or, as he prefered to call it, "sweet-snow") aside. He hastily snatched the bowl from the ferry woman's extended hands and scooped up some of the icy pink goodness inside.

Across from him, at the other end of the table, the ferry woman, Botan, was grinning widely as she waited in anticipation for him to continue.

The koorime gave his most menacing glare at the scoop of pink, strawberry ice-cream gazing up at him from inside his little spoon before quickly chucking it into his mouth.

Pink eyes widened. 'Well?' asked Botan, excitement creeping over her. 'How is it?'

'Hn.'

The ferry woman squealed, jumping to her feet and grabbing him into a warm embrace. Her pink eyes glowed with mirth. She had either been blatantly oblivious to the obvious stiffening of his limbs as she held him; or had decided to push her luck for now. _'I can't believe it!' _thought the ferry woman excitedly in her mind. _'I just made Hiei Jaganshi – __**the **__Hiei Jaganshi taste some of my strawberry ice-cream! And I'm still alive!'_

Still in a state pure ecstacy, the deity released the koorime from her hold and bounded away; off to tell Keiko about the good news, no doubt. 'Thanks, Hiei!' she cried as she skipped merrily out the front door of the fox, Kurama's, house.

'Hn.'

Crimson irises moved from the onna's dissapearing figure to the abandoned strawberry-flavoured confection on the surface of Kurama's kitchen table.

In all honesty, he had never liked the taste of strawberry at all. This frozen treat was, of course, no exception to his tastebuds. Its sugary-sweetness and bold aftertaste was nothing compared to the rich, creamy texture of his usual vanilla ice-cream.

Hiei Jaganshi was, and always will be, Hiei Jaganshi. A demon that lived only by his own rules; never to be moved by the appearance of changes. He had, and always will, live a routinious, black-and-white styled life. The out-of-the-ordinary were not tolerated. Botan's idea of bringing him out of his plain, everyday life was just a pitiful, failing attempt.

'_...but she doesn't have to know that.'_

Snatching up his sweet snow, the infamous Jaganshi thief walked off, leaving the bowl of strawberry ice-cream dicarded on the table.

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_**A/N: Yeah, I know the ending was a tad rushed. And, yes, not my best piece of work, but sweet nevertheless, right? The idea is a little over-done, but I decided a little twist would help mold it into my-style of writing. REVIEW and tell me what you think!**_


	5. Hair

**A/N: **_**Okay...! Only one review for the last chapter! That's cool. I'm totally fine with that. As long as I get a review, I'm happy. Anyways, this one goes off to Cafinatedangel13, who never lets me down with her awesome reviews! And, as for the question you posed, well... I think it was created on fanfiction. I'm not sure. Haha. Read on, my people! And REVIEW.**_

**Number of Words: 438 **_**(wow, its getting shorter)**_

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**Hair**

_Just do it. __**Do **__it! Make it quick and he won't kill you! __**Do it!**_

Botan bit her lower lip, and, as if making up her mind, quivered slightly before quickly darting out her arm for his erect, onyx-coloured hair. Before she had ever reached it, however, a rough hand gripped over her small one, forcing it from him. Crimson orbs glinted maliciously under black bangs. Thin lips broke open to bare menacing fangs as he glowered at her trembling form.

'_What _do you think you're doing, onna?' he spat, glaring daggers at the frightened woman standing before him.

The blue-haired deity gulped. _What should I do? Tell him the truth? Lie? I knew this was a bad idea! _'I was...' she darted her pink eyes away from him, unable to take his hard stare. Her cheeks flushed prettily as the fire demon continued his inspection of her. 'I wanted to...'

'Spit it out before I break your wrist, onna!'

'Iwantedtofeelyourhair!' she spluttered quickly, before widening her orbs and squeaking audibly.

The fire demon, Hiei, cocked a brow. _**What **__did she just say? _'Repeat yourself,' he demanded to the woman, he himself shaking on the inside. 'Slower this time.'

'I wanted to feel your hair...' she repeated, as if ashamed, her small voice, usually so bubbly and full of life, lowered to a hopeless whisper that he caught only with his hieghtened demonic hearing. Tears were forming in her bubblegum eyes; tears which she immediately wiped away with her free hand. 'I'm sorry... your hair is always upright, I noticed. Even in the rain. So... I was just...'

'One condition,' said Hiei flatly, cutting her off mid-sentence. His eyes had reverted from a menacing glare to his usual blank expression. And... was he _blushing? _

The ferry girl nodded enthusiastically; all traces of sadness leaving her for the replacement of hope and excitement. 'Anything!' she said, smiling widely. 'Just you name it!'

The Jaganshi moved his eyes to the window, as if trying to avoid her gaze. The hints of pink on either side of his cheeks were far more noticeable than before. He looked embarassed as he continued on...

'...you let me feel your hair in return.'

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**A/N: **_**Random, huh? I was rather pleased with it, even if it was short and rather pointless. My best chapter still goes to 'Smile' though – that story made me feel really warm on the inside. Anyways, enough of that mush.**_

_**REVIEW!**_


	6. Clovers

**A/N: **I decided to change the way I'm making my Author's Notes. The old way is, well... getting old (no pun intended). Heh. Yeah. Well, I know I was supposed to base each one of my chapters on single sentences, but I didn't think the word "Clover" alone would suit this thing. Gah, enough of this nonsence – on to the story! Enjoy and REVIEW.

**Number of Words: 720**

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**Four-Leafed Clover**

Hiei Jaganshi was leaning against the bark of his favourite tree, high above the hustle and bustle of the human world, watching as the bright orange sun peeked shyly out from behind the clouds, as a sudden rustling caught his ear, and the movements of a delicate figure pulled his gaze downwards.

It was that ferry woman – what was her name again? Oh, yes. _Botan –_ she was crouched down to the earth, her cerulean hair draped over one side of her shoulder, the blades of emerald grass brushing up to her knees, and her expression calm as she dedicated herself to whatever task she was doing.

'_Tsk.' _Thought the koorime, coldly lifting his eyes back up to the sun, as if watching her actions any longer would be a complete waste of his time. _'Baka. Always doing the most idiotic things.'_

Hiei continued to gaze up to the sky, trying to force into his mind some rather complicated fighting techniques; unfortunately however, his thoughts were not there, as they were constantly running back to the ferry woman. _What __**was **__she doing??_

_...just one look. A peek, maybe._

The Jaganshi's face contorted into one of hardened determination. That was it. He'll just sprint down there, take a small peek and jump back up – pretend as if nothing had happened. No big deal. It won't hurt to give it one small look, right?

'Onna, what are you doing?'

Damn. Just had to ask, didn't he?

The ferry woman spun around, her pink eyes widening before relaxing to its normal state. Her lips curved into its usual cheery grin as she beamed up at him. Still crouched to the ground, fingers hidden beneath long blades of grass, the woman replied, 'I'm just looking for a four-leafed clover!' as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

From the blank look on his face, it was obvious to both the ferry woman, and whomever chanced upon seeing him in such a state, that Hiei Jaganshi did not know what a "four-leafed clover" even meant.

Then Botan made the most annoying sound in the world (or, at least, in his opinion) – she giggled. It wasn't a shrill, terribly high-pitched giggle, mind you; it was a completely normal one; no sugar-coated after taste that made the listener doubt one's honesty. Her giggle was light and airy, and there was a serene innocence to it that left him at a loss for words. It _annoyed_ him to no end that everything she did was meant from the heart.

'A four-leafed clover is something like this-,' explained the ferry woman, plucking out a fresh stem from the earth and showing him the slightly dew-stained weed. She pointed at one of the three deep green leaves that stood up at the top. 'See this? There are three leaves on this clover,' she began. 'Nothing is really special about them. But finding a _four-_leafed clover, they say, brings good luck!'

Hiei Jaganshi could have grunted. He could have told her off by calling her stupid. He could have watched her pretty, happy face replace itself with that of hurt and sadness. He could have left it at that and returned to his tree, but...

_He didn't._

Instead, Hiei Jaganshi accompanied the sweet deity complete her task – both of them looking like fools as they crouched down to the earth, searching for the rare four-leafed clover.

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**A/N: **Hah! I finally broke the pattern! What patern you ask? Well, after browsing through the stat section of my account, I realized that the word count in this story was lessening (is that even a word?) with each coming chapter. I forced myself to break the dang trend before my chapters were reduced to a pathetic 100-word count! Luckily for me, I managed to do so! Haha!

Anyways, a great shout-out to Cafinatedangel3 and MidnightDevil1 for their honest reviews! Keep 'em coming, folks!


	7. Botan

**Disclaimer: **I wish I could think up something cool and witty, as most other author's do, but the simple fact is: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Wish I did, though.

**A/N: **I'm not gonna keep this Author's Note very long (coz I kept the long version at the bottom of the page!), so let me just make a quick shout-out before you read. This chapter goes to my two awesome readers who were _considerate _enough to drop some reviews! For Cafinatedangel13, BlueFireIce and MidnightDevil1, you guys rock my socks!

**Number of Words: 405

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**Botan**

Botan.

It was the name of a flower. A peony, if you prefered English. Large, with a thick green stem, and a head full of vibrantly coloured petals. It was not an ordinary looking flower – it did not slip into the background as some other flowers did. It was always bright, _alive. _The waxy surface of its many petals looked simply beautiful after a rain shower. The flower almost seemed to glow in the mornings. It was truly a pretty sight.

...And yet, as crimson eyes continued to bore like sharp, unmerciful drills into the freshly plucked flower, the pale-faced man came to a conclusion that naming her after a peony did _not _suit her at all.

Sure, she was gorgeous. She had dazzling eyes that sparkled like cold pink wine. She had sweet lips that constantly tugged itself into a wide, honest smile. She had smooth, creamy skin. And her hair... the most unique shade of powder blue... All in all, she looked, in his opinion, like something that had descended from heaven itself, and, in a way, he wasn't very far from the truth either. As a top ferry girl, the woman he knew was only one step away from becoming an Angel... and yet, he thought of her as...

_A Godess._

Yes. The name peony did not suit her at all. It had too many petals, too many layers. They were vibrant and pretty, yes, but the amount of layers it held protruded a question of its sincerity. The peony, though beautiful, was a flower full of mystery, and, if plucked of all its petals, would remain as nothing but an ordinary stem. Naked. Plain.

She was nothing like that.

She had no layers to her. There was no question to her honesty. Beneath her radiance was not darkness, but even more beauty. Every man saw her for only her shell – her body, her face, her smiling pink lips. But he saw her for everything. He had her completely figured out. He had plucked her of all her petals, and he found...

Botan.

Not the flower. Not the stem. Not the petals. Not the colour.

Just _Botan_. The happy, smiling girl that would lift him off his feet. Embrace him during his rare moments of weakness. Laugh when hope seemed lost. She was the light in his shadows. The was the soul to his shell... She was...

Botan.

And its as simple as that.

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**A/N: **I know this chapter was really short, but I thought it held the most meaning to it. I had planned on keeping it simple, and I succeeded way more than I had expected. Anyways, I realize that most my stories had been from Hiei's POV (okay, maybe all of them were from his POV), but its just so difficult to describe Hiei from Botan's point of view!

Aah... whatever. I'll give Botan's view a shot. Later. Maybe. I don't know. Just review and tell me what you think! Should I change to Botan's view (as I did in my first chapter, which, might I remind you, sucked!), or stick to Hiei's? Or constantly switch between the two? Hmm. Who knows. Maybe I can contemplate their relationship from a third person view.

REVIEW!


	8. Opposites

**A/N: **It was actually a little past midnight when I started on this, and tomorrow is going to be another test. I'm suffering from asthma at the moment; which is why I'm weezing through every word. Anyways, all that aside, here it is! One of the worst (perhaps the worst) one-shots in fanfiction history.

**Number of Words: 882

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**Opposites**

He was a man full of sins.

A demon. Literally.

He was darkness itself – both externally and internally. His heart was black, jagged and hard – just as he was. His movements, however, were lymph and swift. He could slice the head off an enemy in one simple movement, without a single trace of regret or doubt. That's what made him a convict. A murderer. A thief. One of the most wanted criminals in Rekai's list.

Yes. Hiei Jaganshi was – is – a man full of sins. Despised. Evil.

And if he possesed a heart so dark, ugly and rotten; than she was the exact opposite of what he was – she was pure, kind, caring. She was an angel. Literally.

They were such opposites; the two of them. He had hair as dark as night; her's was as bright as the sky during a perfect spring day. He had crimson eyes. Her's were pink; lavender, almost. He was rough... she was gentle. He was the simbol of all that was hated and evil and disgusting in the world... and she was... she was perfect.

He didn't deserve her. Not her body, not her heart. For the love of Kami, he hardly deserved to stand in the same room as she did – let alone be the focal point of her love. He was too terrible... too tainted. She deserved better; no matter how difficult it was to admit it. No matter how guilty he felt seeing her cry – soft, silverish streams of honest tears rolling down both sides of her flushed, rounded cheeks – he had to deny her. He had to... let her go.

'_But, Hiei,' _she had said, between hiccups and salty tears. Her pink eyes were wide with anguish, pain and question – and, like a coward, he couldn't bare to face her at all. _'I l-love you!'_

'_You're just confused, onna,' _the sinful man replied, forcing himself to add as much hatred and malice into his voice as possible. It was... most convincing. _'The word love is for weaklings... and besides-,' _at this, the demon drew in a deep breath and braced himself to meet her eyes with the most practiced mask he could possibly ever muster. _'-I would never love you.'_

It was a lie, of course.

He loved her. More than anything. She was the only thing, apart from Yukina, that kept him going every day. Between all the images that flashed through his mind during intense life-or-death situations, her's shined the brightest. She was the last thing he would think of before drifting to sleep. She was the one thing he would think of that would comfort him through his nightmares. She was the first thing he would think of when he opened his eyes, and breathed in fresh life. She was... everything.

But he had to do it. _He __**had **__to. _

It was much too dangerous for a sweet, gentle soul such as her to be throwing away her love to and undeserving man such as himself. She would be much better off loving someone else...

'_That was nice.'_

Hiei Jaganshi's ears pricked from beneath the shadows of a high tree. It had been weeks since he had refused Botan's love, and now here he was, hiding like a pitiful coward and watching as the pretty ferry woman he love walked home hand-in-hand with a stranger from one of her many short dates.

'_Maybe we could do it again sometime?'_

Hiei sneered. That man didn't deserve her... and it was obvious by her forced smile that she did not feel any chemistry either. Another failed attempt. Just wait for it... she was about to draw her eyes away, and grimace.

'_I'm sorry,' She drew her eyes away. 'Maybe... maybe this isn't the best time.' Grimace._

The demon watching smirked knowingly as he watched a few pointless dialogue being exchanged between the couple, and waited paitiently to see the onna safely inside. Once she had reached the door, Hiei leaped out of the treetops, and dissapeared.

_No. _No matter what he would do to try and redeem himself, he was still miles away from deserving her warm, gracious smile and her large, caring heart. He was darkness while she was the essence of light itself...

...but...

That won't stop him from continue loving her.

And as his small black figure dissapeared with the surrounding darkness that held him, a pair of soft, beautiful pink eyes looked upwards into the treetops – at the ruffle of the leaves he had caused during his leap into the pitch black sky – and, unbeknownst to him...

...That won't stop her from continue loving him either.

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**A/N: **Did I not say it was bad? Don't you dare tell me otherwise coz I totally know you're lying. This chapter sucked on ice and we both know it. I've done the entire thing without reading or checking through... and I'm much to lazy to go about correcting myself now.

Whatever. Just review, okay?


	9. Roses

**A/N: **Serious drabble. As in, less than 200-word drabble. Plotless but... meaningful. Anyways, this inspiration came from reading too many Naruto fanfiction (and, incase you're wondering, I especially support NejiSakura, GaaSaku and SasuSaku). I felt the need to write. Don't blame me if it sucks though, yeah?

**Number of Words: 178**

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**Roses**

Kurama once said that each rose had a special meaning – the fox had been busy at that time, searching for roses to present to his fiancee, when Hiei had first voiced his curiousity.

Red roses, the fox had said, defined love and desire; usually a gift shared among passionate lovers. Pink, on the other hand, represented gratitude and respect. Yellow was for happiness and friendship. Purple was the the representative of the term, "Love at first sight".

Two roses; their stems entwined with one another; would mean that a couple was serious about their relationship – that they had made a promise and commitment to keeping their love forever untarnished. Three roses stemmed together would define a passionate love everlasting. Twelve roses (or, generally considered a bouquet) meant undevided love and attention towards the, "lucky person".

When the fox had then voiced his distress over picking the perfect rose for describing his relationship with Shizuru, Hiei had again asked in wonderment, 'Why not you buy the whole thing?'

After all, that was exactly what he had done for Botan.

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**A/N: **As I said, short. Even my Author's Notes are longer than this baby! Heh. So, anyways, in case you're wondering: yeah, they are real. Every one of them are facts. I got them out of an old school article (a valentines day piece). I myself don't exactly see the point in buying all these different types of roses – they all seem like the same thing to me. Unfortunately, Kurama-kun doesn't seem to agree with that. :P 

REVIEW!


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